LeBron James shakes up the NBA with move to Lakers

Rockets face sense of urgency in free agency as West becomes wilder

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers speaks to the media after being defeated by the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 108-85 to win the 2018 NBA Finals. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers speaks to the media after being defeated by the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers speaks to the media after being defeated by the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 108-85 to win the 2018 NBA Finals. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers speaks to the media after being defeated by the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June

As generational stars have before him, James shifted the balance of power toward Los Angeles, leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to sign with the Lakers in a four-year, $154 million deal.

He made his latest move with no fanfare, no television special or Sports Illustrated essay, this time leaving it to his agency, Klutch Sports, to release a brief statement. Yet the simple announcement, though not unexpected, was nonetheless seismic, as the 14-time All-Star and four-time MVP will join a team with 16 championships.

James has been to the NBA Finals in all eight seasons since the first time he left his hometown team, winning a pair of championships in Miami and another since his return to Cleveland, winning the Finals MVP each time.

He is far from the first to head west to to the league's glamour team, following the path of other all-time greats such as Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal.

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Four-time NBA MVP LeBron James announced Sunday night that he has agreed to a four-year, $154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. He's leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers. Los Angeles fans celebrated on Sunday. (July 2)

Media: Associated Press

With James' move, becoming the first player in league history to lead the NBA in postseason scoring and leave his team, there is no active player in the Eastern Conference that has ever been the NBA's Most Valuable Player. The MVP runner-up to James Harden this season, James was in the top three of the MVP balloting in the season prior to each of his moves, matching as many as there had been in NBA history.

James, who owns homes in Los Angeles, will have a player option for the final season but still agreed to a longer contract than his deals with the Cavaliers in a strong indication of his commitment to building the Lakers into a contender after topping the Eastern Conference in nine of 12 seasons.

The Lakers' priority will shift toward trying to work a trade for Spurs star and Southern California native Kawhi Leonard, given the championship potential that now would come if they can add Leonard to a team led by James.

With James' deal and reports of agreements to sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a one-year, $12 million contract and Lance Stevenson to a $4.5 million deal and center JaVale McGee, the Lakers have have less than $10 million in cap room, and then only if they renounce their rights to their other free agents.

That would not be enough to sign Rockets center Clint Capela, though there are several moves the Lakers could move to open greater cap room if they need it with a move to release Luol Deng and stretch his contract.

Keeping Capela, a restricted free agent, is a Rockets priority. Capela tweeted an emoji indicating sadness minutes before James' announcement, though it was unclear if the timing was just a coincidence.

James' move west might not increase the Rockets' urgency to make their own move, but only because that was already there. That much was made clear with the agreement on a four-year, $160 million deal with Chris Paul reached nearly as soon as negotiations could officially begin Saturday night.

Given the Rockets' 65-win season and postseason run to within one game of the NBA Finals, they were likely to treat free agency with short-term goals. That became clear with the deal with their 33-year-old point guard. But Paul was always considered a certainty to remain with the Rockets and said he believed he made his decision about this season's free agency when he facilitated the trade to the Rockets a year ago.

Guard Gerald Green was as entrenched and quickly agreed to a one-year, $2.4 million deal that will allow him to become a free agent again next season but with early Bird rights.

The Rockets, however, were left with considerable work to do after Trevor Ariza agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract to go from the team with the NBA's best record to a Suns team that had the worst.

The Rockets went into free agency knowing that Ariza, 33, might be difficult to keep. His departure will likely make decisions about how to retain free agent Luc Mbah a Moute and how they will spend their $5.3 million taxpayer mid-level exception crucial.

They are expected to seek a young wing with potential to develop on a bargain contract similar to Mbah a Moute's last season. The Rockets reached out to James Nunnally, a 6-foot-7 shooter that has excelled for Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Basketball League. That was just a preliminary conversation, but the Rockets will have more work to do to stay at last season's level.